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Egg capsules of the Filetail fanskate Sympterygia lima (Poeppig 1835) (Rajiformes, Arhynchobatidae) from the southeastern Pacific Ocean, with observations on captive egg-laying

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Abstract

A total of 42 egg capsules of Sympterygia lima are examined in this study. Freshly laid egg capsules are pale yellow-brownish in color and turn to dark brown over time in sea water. Dorsal and ventral surfaces are soft and slightly striated. Anterior horns are shorter than posterior and are arranged in parallel. Posterior horns transition into long coiled tendrils, which are the first to emerge through the cloaca during egg-laying. Notes on oviposition rates are discussed; these were shown to vary from 4 to 20 days, with two eggs being deposited each time. The presence of tendril-like posterior horns is not common in rajids. They seem to occur only within the genus Sympterygia, becoming a useful character for distinguishing them from other egg capsules that may be found in the same latitudinal range. Egg capsule characteristics may be useful to help identify the species responsible for egg-laying sites and, indirectly, the reproductive cycle with a nonlethal method.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank all fishermen of Caleta Montemar, especially Juan Cerón, Rodrigo Cordero, Orlando Cerón, Juan Bravo and Eliseo Cerón, for their valuable support for all this time and for providing numerous samples. Additional thanks to Dr. Gavin Naylor, Dr. Hisashi Imamura and anonymous referees for their corrections and helping to improve this document. Finally, the authors wish to thank all the members of Chondrolab UV for their valuable help. This study was performed in concordance with the current laws of Chile.

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  1. Laboratorio de Biología y Conservación de Condrictios (Chondrolab), Facultad de Ciencias del Mar y de Recursos Naturales, Universidad de Valparaíso, Chile, Avenida Borgoño s/n, Reñaca, Viña del Mar, Chile

    Francisco Concha, Naití Morales & Javiera Larraguibel

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  1. Francisco Concha
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  2. Naití Morales
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  3. Javiera Larraguibel
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Correspondence to Francisco Concha.

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Concha, F., Morales, N. & Larraguibel, J. Egg capsules of the Filetail fanskate Sympterygia lima (Poeppig 1835) (Rajiformes, Arhynchobatidae) from the southeastern Pacific Ocean, with observations on captive egg-laying. Ichthyol Res 60, 203–208 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-012-0333-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10228-012-0333-8

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